St Kilda, with their seventh win of their last nine games, entered the top eight for the first time in 2011 after completing a 103-point win over a dismal Adelaide at Docklands on Friday night.Stephen Milne set the tone of the night, kicking two goals in the first five minutes as the Saints jumped the Crows from the start. A third goal to the little number 44 late in the quarter propelled the Saints to a 23-point quarter time lead. And the pattern of five goals to one was continued in the second term, as the Saints shut the hapless and seemingly disinterested Crows out of the contest.By half time the Saints were 45 points ahead, and there seemed no way back for the Crows. And so it would prove during a third term that saw the Adelaide side held to just a point, as the miserly St Kilda defence cleared the ball time and again, while the forward line received chance after chance. The score could have blown out even further, with the Saints being a bit too fancy as they squandered chances to finish with 4.9 for the quarter. But a 77-point advantage for the Saints was a fair reward for their efforts.By now, the main interest was whether the Saints could get the margin up to three figures. And with Milne looking unstoppable in the forward line, this was achieved as he kicked his eighth goal for the night.The final margin was 103 points, with the Saints completely dominant in all facets of the game. Stephen Milne finished with eight goals, while Adam Schneider also chipped in up forward to finish with five. Nick Dal Santo with 31 possessions and Brendan Goddard with 30 were also influential in what was a comprehensive performance by the Saints.But for Adelaide, their season lies in ruins, with just four wins to date this season; and this loss by far the worst of many. Adelaide’s humiliation was complete, as the Crows recorded the worst score in the club’s history.St Kilda 5.1 10.2 14.11 19.13 (127)Adelaide 1.2 2.5 2.6 3.6 (24)Goals : St Kilda – S Milne 8, A Schneider 5, N Riewoldt 3, N Dal Santo, J Koschitzke, L Montagna. Adelaide – P Dangerfield, S Thompson, R Henderson.Best : St Kilda - N Dal Santo, N Riewoldt, S Milne, L Montagna, B Goddard, C Jones. Adelaide – J Petrenko, S Thompson, S Jacobs, M Doughty, D Mackay, R Tambling.Injuries : St Kilda – Nil. Adelaide – B Symes (cheekbone), S Thompson (leg).Substitutions : St Kilda - S Fisher replaced by J Geary in the third quarter. Adelaide - B Symes (cheekbone) replaced by B Smith in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Vozzo, Farmer, McInerney.Crowd - 26,546 at Etihad Stadium.

North Melbourne were given little chance of making the finals after a slow start to the season. But the unfancied Kangaroos have hung in there, keeping the wins ticking over to keep themselves in the hunt. And Saturday afternoon at Docklands saw the Kangaroos keep their chances alive with a 45-point win over Brisbane.The Lions started quickly, with two goals in the first five minutes, but the Kangaroos wasted little time in getting those goals back. By then the Kangaroos were having the better of general play, but some wasteful finishing through the rest of the quarter would let them down. A return of 4.7 for the quarter meant that despite having the better of play around the ground, North held only a seven point lead at quarter time.The Kangaroos continued their inaccurate form at the start of the second term with two misses from 30 metres out, keeping the Lions in the contest. In contrast, by midway through the quarter the Lions were on 6.0, but then their radar began to desert them. But the Lions took the lead late in the quarter, before Aaron Edwards marked 45 metres out to goal after the siren and put the Kangaroos back in front.

Goals to Patrick Kamezis and James Hawksley early in the third quarter put the Lions back in front, but their lead was to be short-lived as a double to Cameron Pedersen within a minute restored the North Melbourne lead. But the third term then became a defensive slog; and after four goals within the first ten minutes, there were only two more for the remainder of the quarter. Getting both of them, the Kangaroos extended their lead to 21 points at the last change.The Lions had worked hard to stay in contact, but were unable to go on with the job in the last quarter. At last the Kangaroos got on top and asserted themselves, with a return of five goals to one to turn the final margin into a 45-point win. Drew Petrie was easily best on ground, dominating the ruck as well as chipping in with three goals, while Ryan Bastinac and Andrew Swallow were also pivotal. Former Brownlow medallist Simon Black was prominent for the Lions.North Melbourne 4.7 8.10 12.15 17.20 (122)Brisbane 4.0 8.5 10.6 11.11 (77)Goals : North Melbourne – C Pedersen 3, D Petrie 3, K Harper 2, A Edwards 2, D Wells 2, R Bastinac 2, T Goldstein 2, B Warren. Brisbane – A Cornelius 2, P Karnezis 2, M Clark, J Polkinghorne, S Black, L Power, T Rockliff, J Hawksley, T Banfield.Best : North Melbourne – D Petrie, R Bastinac, A Swallow, J Ziebell, L Adams, D Wells. Brisbane – S Black, J Redden, T Rockliff, J Adcock, T Banfield, M Leuenberger.Injuries : North Melbourne – Nil. Brisbane – J Brown replaced in selected side by A Cornelius.Substitutions : North Melbourne - B Warren replaced by C Richardson in the third quarter. Brisbane - J Hawksley replaced by A Buchanan in the third quarter.Reports : North Melbourne - M Firrito for striking S Black in the second quarter.Umpires - Dalgleish, Chamberlain, Pannell.Crowd - 20,809 at Etihad Stadium.

Barry Hall, captain of the Swans’ premiership side in 2005, returned to the SCG, this time in the Western Bulldogs colours. But it was Hall’s former club who would take the honours, as the Swans snapped their losing streak with a 39-point victory on Saturday afternoon.A week of heavy rain in Sydney made the ground heavy, and with the weather not clearing until shortly before the start of play, a crowd of only 19,449 was present; the smallest crowd for a match at the SCG since 2002.The Bulldogs got off to a good start, with Barry Hall kicking the opening goal; but the Swans fought back to take the lead at quarter time. And with the first four goals of the second term, the Swans threatened to run away with the contest before a late fightback by the Bulldogs cut the margin to seven points at the long break.As it so often is, the third quarter was decisive, and would determine the ultimate fate of the game. With four goals to one for the quarter, the Swans extended their lead to 27 points at the last change; a lead that could have been even greater but for some missed shots from close range that should have been converted. Barry Hall’s fifth goal early in the final quarter threw the Bulldogs a lifeline, but they were unable to build any momentum and the Swans would run away in the closing stages of the game to take out a comfortable win.Craig Bird, with four goals in the second half, was decisive as the Swans made their move. Adam Goodes, Kieran Jack and Shane Mumford were prominent for the Swans. Barry Hall’s last game at the SCG saw a five goal return, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Bulldogs in the contest. The result keeps the Swans in the top eight, but was a major blow to the Bulldogs’ hopes of qualifying for the playoff action.Click here to see Harboursport’s photo gallery from this match.Sydney 2.4 7.10 11.14 16.18 (114)Western Bulldogs 2.1 7.3 8.5 11.9 (75)Goals : Sydney – C Bird 4, B McGlynn 2, J McVeigh 2, S Reid 2, A Goodes 2, L Roberts-Thomson 2, J Bolton, N Malceski. Bulldogs – B Hall 5, A Hooper 2, J Grant, T Liberatore, L Jones, D Giansiracusa.Best : Sydney – A Goodes, K Jack, S Mumford, J Bolton, D Hannebery, R Shaw. Bulldogs –M Boyd, C Ward, R Griffen, S Higgins, B Hudson, B Hall.Injuries : Sydney – Nil. Bulldogs - J Schofield (illness) replaced in selected side by T Liberatore, D Cross (broken nose).Substitutions : Sydney - L Parker replaced by N Malceski in the third quarter. Bulldogs - D Cross (concussion) replaced by T Liberatore in the second quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Donlon, Stevic, Mollison.Crowd - 19,449 at SCG.

Ladder leaders Collingwood were the hottest of favourites to defeat Gold Coast when the two sides played off at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night, with many experts predicting a thrashing of over 100 points. It turned out to be closer than that, but Collingwood always had the game under control as they took out a comfortable 54-point win.A healthy crowd of over 23,000 was on hand, plenty of them in Collingwood’s black and white. But the home side started strongly, with Trent McKenzie landing a 60 metre torp in the first minute for the opening goal and scoring another shortly afterwards. But hopes of an upset were soon blown away as the Magpies kicked the next six goals to lead by 21 points at the first change.The Magpies took control in the second term, kicking six goals before the Suns could manage a point. Three of those six goals came from six kicks, as the Suns became flustered by the Collingwood dominance. The Magpies were spreading the goals around, with their first ten goals all being scored by different players before Travis Cloke finally broke through to become their first multiple goalscorer.By half time, the margin was out to 54 points. But the Magpies were unable to add to that margin in the second half, as the Suns came out a vastly improved side after half time and put the Magpies under some genuine pressure. It was too late to work their way back into the contest, but at least the young Suns side salvaged some respect out of the game with their determined second half, defying expectations to win the last quarter.The Magpie midfield were controlling the ball at will, with Ben Johnson, Luke Ball and Scott Pendlebury all getting over 30 possessions. Sharing the goal-scoring love, eleven Collingwood players got themelves on the goal-kicking list. For the Magpies, young Danny Stanley stood up with his best game yet in his debut AFL season, while superstar Gary Ablett was also influential around the ground.Collingwood 6.4 13.8 16.12 19.15 (129)Gold Coast 3.1 5.2 8.4 11.9 (75)Goals : Collingwood – L Keeffe 3, T Cloke 2, B Johnson 2, S Pendlebury 2, L Ball 2, A Krakouer 2, S Sidebottom 2, J Blair, D Swan, T Goldsack, S Buckley. Gold Coast – T McKenzie 2, H Bennell 2, D Stanley, J Harbrow, N Krakouer, S Iles, T Lynch, M Weller, M Rischitelli.Best : Collingwood – B Johnson, S Pendlebury, L Ball, T Cloke, D Swan, L Davis. Gold Coast – D Stanley, G Ablett, D Swallow, C Brown, J Fraser, S Iles.Injuries : Collingwood – D Thomas (leg). Gold Coast – Nil.Substitutions : Collingwood - D Thomas replaced by J McCarthy in the third quarter. Gold Coast - J Wilkinson replaced by N Krakouer at the start of the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Ritchie, Bowen, Jeffery.Crowd - 23,302 at Metricon Stadium.

In front of a blockbuster Saturday night crowd at the MCG, Carlton snapped their two-game losing streak and held on to their position in the top four when the Blues recorded an easy 74-point win over Essendon.The Bombers and the Blues have played some thrilling encounters in recent seasons, including a draw when the two sides met early in the season; and the first half looked set to produce another classic contest. Frequent lead changes during the first term saw the Blues leading by seven points at quarter time, helped along the way by three goals for the opening term to small forward Eddie Betts.The Blues threatened to run away early in the second term, with two goals in the first three minutes. Chris Judd was becoming influential around the ground, while Eddie Betts snapped his fourth. But the Bombers fought back to take the lead, in a quarter that saw the depleted and desperate Bombers throw everything they had into the contest to match it with their Carlton rivals. The Blues regained the lead shortly before half time, but the game was in the balance with a seven-point margin at the long break.But the third quarter was barely recognisable from the first half. Essendon tall Tayte Pears was subbed out of the game with a knee injury, and in his absence the Bombers crumbled. The Blues took control of proceedings with eight unanswered goals for the quarter, holding the Bombers to just a solitary point and blowing their lead out to 58 points at the last change.The game was all but decided, and although the Bombers managed to break the goal drought and score four goals in the last quarter, it paled compared to the rampant Blues’ seven goal haul that extended the final margin to 74 points.Eddie Betts had been unstoppable all day on the forward line, finishing with eight goals. Chris Judd was at his Brownlow best with 33 possessions, while Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs also played solid games for the Blues. With the win, the Blues maintain their grip on a top four position. But the Bombers’ loss sees them hanging on by a thread to top eight, their participation in this year’s finals still far from secure.Carlton 5.3 9.4 17.8 24.9 (153)Essendon 4.2 8.3 8.4 12.7 (79)Goals : Carlton – E Betts 8, A Walker 4, D Armfield 3, B Gibbs 2, M Kreuzer 2, M Murphy 2, J Garlett, C Judd, C Yarran. Essendon – M Hurley 3, P Ryder 2, S Crameri, T Colyer, L Jetta, B Prismall, K Reimers, B Stanton, D Zaharakis.Best : Carlton – C Judd, E Betts, M Murphy, B Gibbs, H Scotland, M Robinson. Essendon – D Zaharakis, B Howlett, B Prismall, M Hurley, J Melksham, B Stanton.Injuries : Carlton – Nil. Essendon – T Pears (knee).Substitutions : Carlton - W Twomey replaced by D Ellard in the fourth quarter. Essendon -T Pears (knee) replaced by K Reimers in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Rosebury, Nicholls, Findlay.Crowd - 74,123 at MCG.

Geelong continued on their merry way at Docklands on Sunday afternoon when the Cats led all day, condemning Richmond to their fifth loss on the trot as the Cats recorded an easy 62-point victory.The game had barely started when the Tigers suffered a major blow, with Chris Newman being stretchered off with a knee injury, forcing the Tigers to use their sub with the game only a few minutes old. Jake Batchelor also departed injured in the first quarter, and already the Tigers were running low on interchange options.Travis Varcoe looked dangerous early for the Cats, with the first two goals of the game, helping the Cats to an 18-point quarter time lead. The second quarter was one-way traffic, with the Cats clearing the ball through the midfield with regularity as they scored seven unanswered goals for the quarter to blow the margin out to 61 points at the long break.There was no way back for the Tigers. Although they were able to stop the Cat from going further ahead, and won the last quarter, the deficit was too large for the Tigers to get anywhere near a point of being back in the contest. Late in the game, Matthew Stokes was knocked out in a collision, bringing his game to a premature end; but that was a rare lowlight for the Cats on a day when they put on a strong performance against an under-manned and under-standard opponent.Allan Christensen, James Kelly and Mitch Duncan were among the Cats’ best, as they retain a strong hold on second place on the ladder. The Tigers were well beaten, slumping to their fifth loss on the trot, despite a fighting effort by Trent Cotchin who battled manfully for 35 possessions.Geelong 4.2 11.5 16.9 17.11 (113)Richmond 1.2 1.4 5.5 7.9 (51)Goals : Geelong – T Varcoe 3, T Hawkins 3, M Stokes 2, S Byrnes 2, T West 2, A Christensen 2, J Bartel, J Corey, M Duncan. Richmond – J Riewoldt 3, R Nahas 2, T Vickery, N Foley.Best : Geelong – A Christensen, J Kelly, M Duncan, J Selwood, J Corey, J Bartel. Richmond – T Cotchin, S Tuck, N Foley, B Deledio, R Nahas, D Jackson.Injuries : Geelong – S Johnson (corked thigh) replaced in the selected side by D Milburn, M Stokes (concussion). Richmond – C Newman (knee), J Batchelor (shoulder).Substitutions : Geelong - S Byrnes replaced by J Cowan at half-time. Richmond - C Newman (knee) replaced by S Edwards during the first quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Stewart, Ryan, Wenn.Crowd - 33,761 at Etihad Stadium.

Melbourne took on Hawthorn at the MCG, the Demons looking for a win to re-enter the top eight as the business end of the season draws closer. But the Demons were never in the contest, as a red-hot Hawthorn side took control from the start to record a comfortable 54-point win.In the week leading up to the game, former Hawthorn premiership coach Allan Jeans passed away. Before the game, a highlights reel of Jeans’ coaching reign was played on the scoreboard, with a minute’s silence observed before the game.When the game started, the Hawks got the jump; and in the first 12 minutes of the game, the Hawks got five goals on the board. Sam Mitchell by then already had eight possessions, driving the Hawks forward with regularity during their purple patch. Eventually the Demons stopped the rot and got their first goal on the board as the clock ticked into time-on, but the Hawks held a 16-point lead at quarter time.David Hale goaled early in the second term, but the Demons kicked the next three goals and suddenly got themselves back within a kick. But they were never able to take the lead, and would not score again for the quarter, while the Hawks regained their composure to score three more goals and take a 25 point lead into the rooms at half time.The game opened up in the quarter and became a shootout. Nine goals were scored, but the Hawks had the better weapons to handle a shootout and kicked six of the nine goals. Brad Green kicked all three of Melbourne’s for the quarter, but the Hawks were able to find more options, with Lance Franklin and Luke Breust each scoring two. The quarter saw the Hawks lead extend to 44 points, and the game was safe. Going on with the job in the final term, the Hawks kicked four goals to three, putting the final margin over the half century.Lance Franklin up forward was a potent force, finishing with five goals; while Brad Sewell was a ball magnet, finishing with 33 touches, and Sam Mitchell accumulated 30. Brad Green scored four for the Demons, but it their defeat ended their hopes of getting themselves back into the top eight this round.Hawthorn 6.1 10.4 16.6 20.12 (132)Melbourne 3.3 6.3 9.4 12.6 (78)Goals : Hawthorn – L Franklin 5, L Breust 3, C Rioli 3, L Hodge 2, M Osborne 2, S Mitchell, J Lewis, X Ellis, D Hale, I Smith. Melbourne – B Green 4, J Howe 3, L Dunn 2, C Sylvia, M Bate, R Petterd.Best : Hawthorn – L Franklin, S Mitchell, L Hodge, B Sewell, J Lewis, M Osborne. Melbourne – S Martin, B Green, J Howe, N Jones, J Rivers, J Watts.Injuries : Hawthorn - S Savage (shoulder). Melbourne - L Jurrah (illness) replaced in selected side by J Bennell.Substitutions : Hawthorn - S Savage (shoulder) replaced by I Smith in the last quarter. Melbourne - A Maric replaced by J Bennell in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Meredith, Kamolins, McBurney.Crowd - 39,782 at MCG.

There’s never any love lost in a WA derby, and emotions boiled over several times in another spiteful clash at Subiaco on Sunday afternoon; a clash that would go down to a kick after the siren.A low-scoring opening term was highlighted by Stephen Hill, going for a run from the wing with three bounces before slamming the ball through for the opening goal of the game. The Dockers found themselves with the lead, and although the Eagles lifted their game later in the quarter and got the scoreboard ticking over, some inaccurate finishing meant the Dockers were still three points ahead at quarter time.It was a closely contested second term, with plenty of solid bumps and hard tackling, but neither side was able to create space around the ground to create attacking chances. In a low-scoring quarter, the Eagles kicked two goals to one to lead by a point at the long break.An absorbing third term saw three goals apiece, both sides working hard in the pursuit of goals and even harder in defence to prevent their opposition getting on top. The Eagles created more opportunities, but some inaccurate finishing would again let them down as they kicked 3.7 for the quarter, holding a seven point lead at the last change.Josh Kennedy scored his third goal in the opening minute of the last quarter, and when Luke Shuey kicked truly at the 12 minute mark, the Eagles held a 22 point lead and looked safe. But the Dockers weren’t finished yet. Chris Mayne, Stephen Hill and Nathan Fyfe goaled within quick succession to get the game back within a kick. The Eagle defence was under the pump as the clock ticked down, and were hanging on to a two-point lead as the 30 minute mark came and went. Mark Rosa knocked the ball out of bounds on the 50 metre line, and was penalised for deliberate. Hayden Ballantyne went back to take the kick from the 50, as the final siren sounded. The fate of the game rested on the kick by Ballantyne, a kick that looked good off the boot but hit the post. Heartbreak for the Dockers, and relief by the Eagles, West Coast taking the game by just one point.West Coast 1.6 3.7 6.14 8.17 (65)Fremantle 2.3 3.6 6.7 9.10 (64)Goals : West Coast – J Kennedy 3, M LeCras 2, L Shuey, M Priddis, J Darling. Fremantle –S Hill 2, Z Clarke 2, M Barlow, H Ballantyne, A McPhee, C Mayne, N Fyfe.Best : West Coast – D Cox, M LeCras, B Waters, L Shuey, J Kennedy, S Selwood. Fremantle – M Barlow, G Broughton, Z Clarke, N Fyfe, L McPharlin, T Mzungu.Injuries : West Coast – Nil. Fremantle - J Griffin (hip).Substitutions : West Coast - J Darling replaced by P McGinnity in the third quarter. Fremantle - J Griffin replaced by P Duffield in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Margetts, Schmitt, Ryan.Crowd - 41,055 at Patersons Stadium.